A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard - Gambelia sila

(Stejneger, 1890)

Click on a picture for a larger view

Historical Range in California: Red

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Adult male in dark phase, San Luis Obispo County

Adult male, San Luis Obispo County

Adult, San Luis Obispo County

Adult female, light phase, showing breeding coloring, San Luis Obispo County

Adult, San Luis Obispo County

Adult at the mouth of its burrow,
San Luis Obispo County.

Juvenile, San Luis Obispo County

Adult, Fresno County

Male during the breeding season, Tulare County. © Don Roberson
(Don's web page has more pictures of Blunt-nosed Leopard lizards and their Tulare County habitat.)

Adult male (left) and adult female (right) showing the striking salmon lateral and ventral region of a male in very hot temperatures during breeding season. Kings County © Patrick Briggs

Adult, Tulare County © Patrick Briggs

Adult male, Kings County
© Patrick Briggs

Adult female, Kings County
© Patrick Briggs

Adult male, Kings County
© Patrick Briggs

Juvenile, Kings County
© Patrick Briggs

Adult, Fresno County. © Chad Lane

Hatchling, San Benito County © Jon Hirt

Adult head, Kings County
© Patrick Briggs

Gambelia Nose Comparisons

Top - Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard -
Gambelia sila (Adult, Kings County)

Bottom - Long-nosed Leopard Lizard -
Gambelia wislizenii (Adult, Inyo County)

© Patrick Briggs

As you would expect from their common names, the Long-nosed Leopard Lizard has a longer nose than the Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard.

Cloacal views of Gambelia sila

Top - Female

Bottom - Male

© Patrick Briggs

Notice the hemipenis pocket and the enlarged femeral pores on the male, and the orange breeding coloring on the female.

Backs and skin of Gambelia sila

Left - Male

Right - Female

Both are adults from Kings County.

© Patrick Briggs

Leopard Lizards, genus Gambelia, have granular scales on the body.

Habitat

Habitat, Kings County

Habitat, San Luis Obispo County

Habitat, Fresno County

Habitat, Tulare County

Habitat, San Luis Obispo County

Short Video

A large adult lizard rests at the mouth of its burrow then runs off into its sparsely-vegetated habitat.

Description

Size

3 - 5 inches long (7.5 - 12.5 cm.) from snout to vent.

Appearance

A large lizard with a broad triangular-shaped head, a truncated snout (compared to the Long-Nosed Leopard Lizard) a rounded body, well-developed limbs, granular scales, and a long rounded tail that is longer than the body.

Females develop reddish orange spots and bars on the sides and underneath the tail when gravid.
Males develop pink or rusty wash on the throat, chest, and sometimes the body, during the breeding season.

Color and Pattern

Color is grayish to brown, with cream-colored crossbands and large dark spots.
The ground color lightens considerably as the lizard's body temperature increases.
The underside is pale, with gray markings on the throat.

Young

Juveniles have more highly contrasted markings than adults, often with rusty coloring on the back or bright red spots, and yellow on the thighs and under the tail.

Life History and Behavior

Activity

Diurnal, emerging to bask in the morning.
Uses mammal dens and burrows for cover and shelter.
The number of available burrows will determine the size of this lizard's population in an area.

Diet and Feeding

Eats insects and other arthropods, and lizards.

Breeding

Breeds frtom May to June.
Eggs are laid in June and July, and hatch in July and August.

Geographical Range

Endemic to California.
Inhabits the San Joaquin Valley and nearby valleys and foothills, from extreme northwest Santa Barbara County and western Kern County north to southern Merced County.

Elevational Range

From 100 - 2,400 ft. (30 - 730 m).

Habitat

Semiarid grasslands, alkali flats, and washes.
Prefers flat areas with open space for running, avoiding densely vegetated areas.

Notes on Taxonomy

There is evidence that at one time G. sila hybridized with G. wislizenii in the upper Cuyama drainage in Ventura Co, but there is no evidence that there is any current contact between the two species, or if they can hybridize now. Much of the hybrid zone habitat has been degraded, and it appears that these hybrids have been eliminated. (Stebbins 2003.)

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

Endangered. No longer present throughout most of its former range as the habitat has been significantly altered by farming, urban development, overgrazing, oil wells, mining, reservoirs, and off-road vehicle use. This habitat alteration continues.

At the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, managed cattle grazing has been used to reduce dense growths of non-native grasses, which improves the habitat for the Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard and other threatened species.

Taxonomy
Family	Crotaphytidae	Collared and Leopard Lizards	Smith & Brodie, 1982
Genus	Gambelia	Leopard Lizards	Baird 1859 “1858”
Species	sila	Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard	(Stejneger, 1890)
Original Description
Gambelia sila - (Stejneger, 1890) - N. Amer. Fauna, No. 3, p. 105 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Gambelia - honors Gambel, William sila - Latin silus - snub nosed - refers to the blunt nose of species compared to Gambelia wislizenii from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Formerly Gambelia silus
Related or Similar California Lizards
Long-nosed Leopard Lizard - Gambelia wislizenii Cope's Leopard Lizard - Gambelia copeii
More Information and References
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012. Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Jones, Lawrence, Rob Lovich, editors. Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009. Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List and the Endangered and Threatened Animals List which are published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)	FE 3/11/67	Endangered
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)	SE - 6/27/71	Endangered
California Department of Fish and Wildlife	DFG:FP	Fully Protected
Bureau of Land Management	None
USDA Forest Service	None

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